Do you think people who sleep less than seven hours per night are heavier, gain more weight over time, and have a harder time losing weight?
YES It's true: Being short on sleep can really affect your weight. While you weren't sleeping, your body cooked up a perfect recipe for weight gain.
When you’re short on sleep, it’s easy to lean on a large latte to get moving. You might be tempted to skip excercise (too tired), get takeout for dinner, and then turn in late because you’re uncomfortably full.
If this cascade of events happens a few times each year, no problem. Trouble is, more than a third of Indians aren't getting enough on a regular basis. Yet experts agree that getting enough shut-eye is as important to health, well-being, and your weight as are diet and excercise.
Here are some of the Health Benefits of having a good sleep....
1) It Stops Late-Night Snacking: The longer you’re awake, the more likely you are to consume calories you don’t need, which can cause you to gain up to two pounds a week.
2) It Helps You Burn More Calories: Not only you have more energy to take on the day after a good night’s sleep, but your body also torches calories, even when you’re not working out. A study found that normal sleepers' resting energy expenditure—the amount of calories burned when you’re not moving—was five percent higher than their tired counterparts. They also burned 20 percent more calories after a meal versus sleep-deprived people.
3) It Boosts Fat Loss: Even if you eat the exact same diet as your friend, if you’re not getting the sleep your body needs, you won’t drop as much fat as them. A recent study from the University of Singapore compared the weight-loss results from sleeping eight and a half hours per night versus only five and a half hours per night. In both conditions, people ate the same number of calories (about 1,450 calories per day). While both groups lost about six and a half pounds, more than half of that weight was fat for well-rested people, compared to only a quarter for tired participants.
4) It Encourages Portion Control: In a study, well-rested and sleep-deprived participants were asked to complete a computerized "ideal portion size" task where they could manipulate their serving size on a screen. Their findings: Sleep-starved people added 35 additional calories in snacks to their digital “plate” compared to well-rested participants.
5) It Keeps Your Brain Focused Your brain functions differently without sleep. A study revealed reduced activation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex—an area of the brain involved with inhibition and behavior control. Skimping on sleeps sets your brain up to make bad decisions. It dulls activity in the brain frontal lobe, the locus of decision-making and impulse control.
So it’s a little like being drunk. You don’t have the mental clarity to make good decisions.
Healthy weight Loss is a balance of good diet, exercise and enough rest.
By Neha Rai.
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